Shock and Awe: A tour of Springfield properties slated for demolition

View full sizePhoto: Greg Saulmon32 Willard Avenue in Springfield is slated for demolition as part of Springfield's "Operation Shock and Awe" campaign.

In August, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno announced a campaign called "Operation Shock and Awe." The $800,000 initiative involves the demolition of seven abandoned or blighted properties across the city.

What do those properties look like? And, what's their history? In early September, I photographed the seven buildings on the list -- with the exception of 126 Orleans Street, which had already been torn down. A look at each, after the jump. | View a photo gallery here.

View full sizePhoto: Greg Saulmon- 1267 Bay Street -Assessed owner: City of Springfield (The city acquired the property via a tax taking in September, 1994)
Assessed value, land: $42,600
Assessed value, building: $16,100
Total assessed value: $58,700
In the news: The house at 1267 Bay Street was featured in a 2006 Republican article about Springfield's "Clean Cities" campaign. The Republican reported: "Until last week, the house at 1267 Bay St. was nearly hidden behind a mass of tangled bittersweet vines and overgrown bushes, another city property whose owners have walked away. But in just two hours last Wednesday, a 10-person crew from the Clean Cities campaign managed to do what neighbors thought would never happen: Mow the lawn, clear the brush, and board the access areas that were an open invitation to disaster."
On fire: April 21, 2002
Quotes: "Nobody wants to live next to a house like this," said Parks Department principal planner Derek J. Roach in 2006.

View full sizePhoto: Greg Saulmon- 75 Commonwealth Avenue -Address of assessed owner: Lawrence, MAAssessed value, land: $36,900Assessed value, building: $137,300Total assessed value: $174,200Sales history: $32,000 (1987) | $120,800 (1989) | $73,500 (1997) | $174,000 (2005)In the news: On April 6, 2008, the Republican reported that Springfield's three-member Structural Survey Board approved demolitions orders for 14 city buildings, including the home at 75 Commonwealth Avenue. | In September of 2008, an arsonist targeted the home twice -- on the 28th and 29th.On fire: September 28, 2008 | September 29, 2008 | December 25, 2006Quotes: "It was a nice old house, but some four to five fires later it has had some damage," Springfield fire department spokesman Dennis Leger told the Republican in September, 2008.

View full sizePhoto: Greg Saulmon- 126 Orleans Street -Assessed owner: City of Springfield (Acquired in a tax taking first filed on August 21, 1995)Assessed value, land: $17,200Assessed value, building: $73,600Total assessed value: $90,800In the news: In June, 2007, 126 Orleans Street was offered to developers as part of a "package deal" that included seven tax lien properties. The city requested a minimum bid of $40,000 for all seven properties.On fire: n/aQuotes: "We are hoping to get a credible developer that brings a positive outcome for the neighborhood," Tina M. Quagliato, program manager for the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services, told the Republican in 2007.

View full sizePhoto: Greg Saulmon- 93-95 St. James Ave -Address of assessed owner: Narragansett Street, SpringfieldAssessed value, land: $22,000Assessed value, building: $111,300Total assessed value: $133,300Sales: $95,000 (1997) | $92,000 (2001)In the news: A fire in 2007 caused an estimated $85,000 in damage to the home, which had been vacant for about a month while its owner prepared to put it on the market.On fire: August 27, 2007

View full sizePhoto: Greg Saulmon- 629 Sumner Avenue -Address of assessed owner: Lawrence, MAAssessed value, land: $38,500Assessed value, building: $79,000Total assessed value: $117,500Sales: $33,000 (1981) | $96,100 (1986) | $131,000 (1989) | $132,600 (2004) | $160,000 (2005)In the news: In July, 1997, a teenager living at 629 Sumner Avenue was injured in a shooting that followed an argument at a public swimming pool. | In October, 2001, a resident of 629 Sumner Avenue was arrested for the possession and distribution of heroin, following an incident on Saratoga Street. | In September, 2004, a resident of 629 Sumner Avenue was one of four men charged in an assault on a man on Dwight Terrace in Chicopee. | In January, 2007, a resident of 629 Sumner Avenue was charged with trafficking in cocaine. | In December, 2008, an arson fire gutted the home.On fire: December 28, 2007Quotes: "Everything went up in flames," a neighbor told the Republican following the fire.

View full sizePhoto: Greg Saulmon- 32 Willard Avenue -Address of assessed owner: 64 Willard Avenue, SpringfieldAssessed value, land: $21,200Assessed value, building: $95,000Total assessed value: $116,200In the news: In August, 2005, the state Sex Offender Registry Board determined that a resident of 32 Willard Avenue -- who had been convicted of indecent assault and battery on a mentally retarded person in 1997 -- was at a high risk to re-offend. | In February, 2009, three fires broke out in Springfield. The blaze at 32 Willard Avenue -- which displaced five tenants -- was described as the "most intense" of the three. Firefighters were ordered to evacuate the home after 15 minutes on the scene; the building partially collapsed a few minutes later.On fire: February 25, 2009